Missouri Department of Conservation warns against toxic mushrooms

AROUND THE OZARKS, Mo. (KY3) - Conservation agents are warning the public not to eat certain seasonal mushrooms and how to identify them.

The Missouri Department of Conservation posted on Facebook, warning Missourians not to eat the white mushrooms that are appearing in circles, or “fairy rings”.

Francis Skalicky, conservation media specialist, said that though these mushrooms look non-toxic, the public should not try to cook with them.

“One mushroom that appears frequently late in the summer it’s called green-spored lipeota - it’s toxic. It’s bad to eat, but we always get calls about that,” Skalicky said.

Conservation agents, as well as Crystal Wake, President of the Springfield chapter of the Missouri Mycological Society, said to always check the identity of your mushrooms before eating them.

“You want to know what it is that you’re collecting and putting in your basket. If you’re mixing it with known edibles, like during the spring season when everyone’s out looking for morels, you’re gonna find other things in the woods too,” Wake said. “So, it’s a safe bet to put your known edible mushrooms away from the ones you might want to take home and research a little more and see if you can identify what those are,”

There are books, like the conservation department’s guide to edible mushrooms, as well as the Missouri Mycological Society’s Facebook page, where people can post a photo of a mushroom and help identify it.

“Before you harvest a mushroom, in this day and age, it’s easier to find out information than it used to be. It was kind of by-guess and by-golly, you know. If you ask a neighbor, ask somebody you knew, (you) crossed your fingers, then you ate it and hoped it was good. Where now, you have various sources of information,” Skalicky said.

For parents, knowing if they have mushrooms in their yard can help prevent a child from eating a more harmful mushroom.

“If you know you have mushrooms that grow up in your yard, even if you don’t, it’s a good conversation to have with your kids and say, ‘Hey, don’t eat anything out of the yard.’ but maybe instead say something like ‘If you find something cool out there, bring it in to me,’” Wake said.

If you or someone you know has eaten a poisonous mushroom, conservation agents advise seeking medical help and obtaining photos or samples of the mushroom so it can be identified.

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